Home | Forums


The Thief Forum FAQ




Previous The Thief Forum FAQ Next


Section 2: Gaining Skill
2.1: Introduction to post-16 gaining, the 8x8 method, and what to do when a skill is stuck.

**Note: The GGS system is long gone and the 8x8 method has been done away with as well. The gains themselves work exactly as they did during the 8x8 era. But the anti-macro code is gone for some unknown reason. You know longer have to move 8 spaces for another gain. You can stand on a single tile and gain any skill all the way to GM+.

Since publish 16 went live, much has changed with gaining certain skills. The general techniques remain the same, but burst hour has been removed and replaced with GGS, which you should read up on (in section 1) if you have not already. Some skills, such as hiding, remain almost entirely the same. However, stealing, for example, has changed quite a bit.

The following is a explination of the "8x8 Meathod" which is referred to a few times in this section:

Contrary to rumors, 8x8 still works even with Power Hour gone. The entire world of UO is layed out on a grid. Every step you take, you are standing on one tile of the entire grid. Now when you gain in a skill, hide for example, you want to 'mark' the tile you are standing on as a 'gain tile'. (mark it mentally, for UOAM is not going to be very usefull soon). Now, you need to imagine that you are now on a grid, and there are 'intersections' 8 tiles in any direction. Every Eighth tile is a possible new gain tile, with going north being the most probable. In other words, once you gain, go north 8 more tiles and try the skill again - there is a high chance you will gain again. That's the simple rule to 8x8 - gain, go north 8, gain again. Since gains are easily duplicated with this method, many skills can easily be Grandmastered simply by finding ONE gain to start the entire 8x8 process.

In reality, it isn't that simple. You can be blocked by trees, buildings, etc etc if you do this on land, which is why many people try to gains skills on boats at sea - where only other boats can block you. It is in your best interest if you are a power gamer trying to simply gain skills to buy a boat, and go to sea (Feluca is less populated than Trammel, so I would also suggest you go there). As you go forward 8 tiles, you won't always gain - there's just a higher probability that you will gain. There are times that you simply won't gain on the tile. This is where most people gave up and went back to sailing aimlessly looking for another gain to start the 8x8 process all over, however don't do that.

If you are POSITIVE you are standing on the correct tile, it's quite possible you simply are standing on a 'dud'. Now imagine you are on a large gridmap, and you will just have to find which 'intersection' on this grid has the gain again. Go forward eight more and see if you can find it, go backward 8 a few times to see if you can 'recapture' the gain from a previous tile. If no luck, go left or right eight tiles and try again. I almost always could rediscover my gain going in a spiral direction (8 forward, 8 right, 8 backward, 8 backward, 8 left, 8 left, 8 forward, 8 forward, 8 forward, etc etc). If I went up to 40 tiles outside of my grid, then I did count it as a loss, then went sailing aimlessly once again looking for a new gain. *

When a skill is "stuck" or "at a wall" (if it's been a LONG time since you're last gain and you think you should have gained by now, you're at a wall) there are a few things to try:
  1. If it's a target base skill (arms lore, snooping, etc.) get some more objects or wait for the server to reset.
  2. Commit suicide (no, not IRL =P)
  3. Cross a server line
Those are the three main things that tend to "unstick" skills, but nothing is guarunteed.


Previous The Thief Forum FAQ Next

Copyright © 2007 uothief.com All Rights Reserved